Every five minutes a fantasy football draft around the world begins. While I definitely just made that up, we are right in the midst of fantasy draft season, and the biggest draft weekend of the year starts Friday. Rankings, sleeper lists, and cheat sheets are all in upheaval, and we're here to help with our final sneak peek at ADP risers and fallers, featuring young guys such as Chuba Hubbard, Mac Jones, and Tua Tagovailoa, and veterans such as Kenny Golladay and Latavius Murray.
This article uses Underdog Fantasy ADP data and is based on half-point PPR formats. All changes referenced in ADP are over the past seven days (Aug. 25 - Sept. 1). For last week's ADP report, click here.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2021 Cheat Sheet
This is our final ADP report before the 2021 regular season as fantasy drafts wrap up.
2021 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
Fantasy Football ADP Report: Risers and Fallers
QB Risers: Mac Jones
Jones has won the quarterback battle in New England, as Cam Newton was among the most newsworthy cuts of the NFL Aug. 31 deadline. Obviously, this has sparked a rise in his ADP. He's moved up 15.6 spots and is currently being drafted as the QB28 -- right where we have him in our QB rankings. Since the news only came one day ago, we can expect his ADP to rise even further, likely getting to a place where he's too expensive to acquire in single-QB redraft leagues. He's still a low-end QB2, so if you weren't able to draft him ahead of the news, you should probably pass on him in most leagues. He does have legit best ball and dynasty league appeal, though.
More QB Risers: Jameis Winston, Saints; Teddy Bridgewater, Broncos; Zach Wilson, Jets
2021 PPR FANTASY RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker | Top 200
QB Fallers: Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins; Daniel Jones, Giants; Derek Carr, Raiders; Kirk Cousins, Vikings
These guys are falling mostly due to the rookie group of QBs rising. Every first-round rookie QB has seen an uptick in ADP, which directly drops these guys. Simply put, drafters are opting to shoot for the upside of a Justin Fields or Trey Lance over a "safe" option like Carr and Cousins. Jones and Tagavailoa are on our list of QB sleepers, but their presumed upside isn't quite as high on some of the rookies.
Tagovailoa also has the drama of the recent reports that the Dolphins were trying to trade for Deshaun Watson. Whether they were true or not, it seemed to push him down cheat sheets a bit.
Don't ignore these guys, though. Rookies are always more exciting, but young breakout candidates plenty of upside, too. Stable veterans also always have value, especially in favorable matchups.
2021 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Each team
RB Risers: Chuba Hubbard, Panthers
Hubbard has officially taken his place as the primary backup to Christian McCaffrey, and his ADP reflects that. His stock has risen 11.9 places over the past week, and he's become one of the top RB handcuffs in the entire NFL. If you draft Christian McCaffrey (presumably at the 1.01), it's worth taking using a pick on Hubbard late in your draft. However, even if you don't have McCaffrey, you should still keep your eye on him. By the time he's in the range to be selected (RB52), there are mere crumbs on the board at the position. Many think you should only take handcuff RBs if you have the starter, but that's not the only way to approach it. If McCaffey goes down, you now possess another starting RB while retaining the RBs you spent early draft capital on in this situation.
More RB Risers: Kenny Gainwell, Eagles; Gus Edwards & Ty'Son Williams, Ravens; Sony Michel, Rams; Ty Johnson & Tevin Coleman, Jets
2021 FANTASY AUCTION VALUES (Standard & PPR):Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker | Overall
RB Fallers: Latavius Murray, Saints
Murray's ADP plunge of 28.5 spots has to do with the recent buzz that Tony Jones Jr. Jones might be the No. 2 RB in New Orleans. Murray has been a valuable RB handcuff with stand-alone value, but that time might be coming to an end if he can't hold off the momentum Jones is building.
More RB Fallers: David Johnson, Texans; Malcolm Brown, Dolphins; Darrell Henderson, Rams
MORE 2021 FANTASY RANKINGS:
Superflex Top 200 | Superflex Top 200 PPR | IDP | Rookies | O-lines
WR Risers: Corey Davis, Jets
The Jets' No.1 WR was said to be wide open before the preseason began, but as many predicted, Davis looks to be the top recipient of Zach Wilsons' passes. They've been on the same page in their limited preseason work together, and Elijah Moore has been dealing with a quad injury. Outside of those two, there's just not much talent in the WR or TE room. For these reasons, Davis has risen 12.4 spots in ADP.
More WR Risers: Marquez Callaway, Saints; Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Packers; Quez Watkins, Eagles; Michael Pittman Jr., Colts
2021 FANTASY TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST
WR Fallers: Kenny Golladay, Giants
Golladay (hamstring) finally returned to practice yesterday, but that isn't keeping his ADP from seeing a decline (9.2 spots). Drafters have seen this game with Golladay already. He's always among one of the riskiest players at the position, and who knows when he'll actually be full-go or how long he'll stay on the field? There are options near his range with more safety and more upside. As of today, he's fallen all the way to WR36.
More WR Fallers: T.Y. Hilton, Colts; DJ Chark, Jaguars; Mike Williams, Chargers
FANTASY DRAFT STRATEGY:
Snake Draft | Auction | Best Ball | Dynasty/Keeper | IDP
TE Risers: Gerald Everett, Seahawks
Everett's rise about five spots in ADP is a result of Russell Wilson giving him praise in the past week. Anytime a star QB comes out and says something positive about a guy, his ADP sees at least a small increase. At such a scarce position, fantasy drafters will take anything they can get. Obviously, the upside is there for Everett in an offense full of firepower.
More TE Risers: Pat Freiermuth, Steelers; Zach Ertz, Eagles; Austin Hooper, Browns
MORE 2021 FANTASY HELP:
Mock Draft Simulator | Position battles | Bye weeks | Best team names
TE Fallers: Adam Trautman, Saints
Trautman has been the fantasy TE sleeper darling for much of the 2021 offseason. However, he sustained a foot injury in a preseason game against Jacksonville. While his injury isn't serious, he may be slated to miss games. On top of that, Juwan Johnson is seemingly challenging Trautman for first-team reps. Johnson has been on the field with the ones (sometimes with Trautman) and has been running routes. As one of the most hyped sleepers, it's strange to see his ADP drop 32.4 spots (below Zach Ertz), but the causes bring clarity to his situation.
More TE Fallers: Evan Engram, Giants; Dallas Goedert, Eagles